"Safety First" Company-wide Response... Duty-Free Shops Taking Crisis Management Measures

Temporary Closure Followed by Reduced Operating Hours

Full Effort for Proactive Response

On the 3rd, as the spread of the novel coronavirus infection continues, disinfection company employees are preparing to disinfect at Shilla Duty Free in Jung-gu, Seoul, where the 12th confirmed domestic patient visited. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Amid the ongoing novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) situation, the duty-free shop industry is implementing reduced operating hours following temporary closures. On the 4th, Lotte, Shinsegae, and Shilla I'Park duty-free shops shortened their business hours by two hours. Previously, Shilla and Lotte duty-free shops suspended operations at some stores due to visits by confirmed coronavirus patients.

The duty-free industry has strengthened its emergency task force (TF) team into a company-wide response system involving the entire top management. Based on experience from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, they are engaging in proactive crisis management to prioritize the 'safety' of customers and employees and minimize damage.

Shilla Duty-Free, which suspended operations at its Seoul and Jeju stores, completed extensive additional disinfection work on the 3rd. On the 1st, at 6:30 PM, Shilla Duty-Free received notification from health authorities that the 12th confirmed patient was suspected to have visited the Seoul store. After about six hours of CCTV analysis, it was finally confirmed that the patient visited twice on the 20th and 27th of last month. Prior to the final confirmation of the patient's visit, Shilla Duty-Free decided on temporary closure around 8:30 PM and subsequently informed employees to stay at home.

Even though it was not yet confirmed whether the confirmed patient actually visited the store, Shilla Duty-Free decided on temporary closure first because of its policy to prioritize the safety of employees and customers. During the 2015 MERS outbreak, Hotel Shilla also suspended operations simply because a patient in the incubation period stayed at Jeju Shilla. Shilla Duty-Free instructed employees to remain at home during the closure period and to respond according to health authorities' guidance. For employees who might have had direct or indirect contact, 'health kits' containing masks and thermometers were individually delivered to their homes.

A Shilla Duty-Free representative stated, "We have established an 'emergency contact network' for constant communication with employees staying at home, regularly checking their health status and well-being, listening to difficulties, and sending messages for consultation."

Lotte Duty-Free is also conducting daily professional disinfection of stores and employee lounges as part of activating its emergency response committee. Frequently touched surfaces such as elevator buttons and escalator handrails are disinfected and cleaned more than six times a day. Group training and events for employees have been prohibited.

Additionally, leave of absence is being granted to pregnant women and those with immunodeficiency diseases. Shinsegae is also taking measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus by deploying portable sprayers for frequent disinfection.

A Lotte Duty-Free representative explained, "We plan to respond meticulously in close cooperation with health authorities to ensure that this situation stabilizes as soon as possible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.